Of Books new Looks and right Hooks
by otahotian
Summary: "You were good for nothing before, if you want to be shinobi now, you have to stop being a child and train hard." "Than maybe I don't want to be a shinobi.. - being civilian isn't so difficult. - At least I survived." Obito being a bookworm without having ever finished a book. Kakashi being a jerk and Minato being .. there, even when he is away.
1. Of Dust and Spiders

**New day, new project, right?**

**So yeah, same thing I tried twice already. I will try to post every two days this time, to get better in English and more responsible and patient.  
**

**As to the story:  
It is an Another Universe, means Obito is alive. I like him, that's why.  
What more, there will be Out Characters - important, yes, but not for long. Ignore them, if you must, but I promise they are nice.**

**It's a friendship fiction, between Obito and Kakashi and Minato-sensei. (I killed Rin) Someone (namely the ex-second-part of this ff account) told me to make it a bit to romance, however, I am not sure I feel up to it. So friendship is it.**

**Place: Konoha Village and wilderness  
Time: few months after Obito's "death"  
Mood: immature, insane, irresponsible  
Characters: Obito, Kakashi, Minato, Kushina  
and OC aunt, old man and two kids**

* * *

It was difficult – the first weeks after leaving hospital.

Minato-sensei was _always _around to ask him how he felt.. or _always_ away on some _secret_ mission. With Rin and some rookies.

_It should have been me there, on the mission. With Rin. And Ka-Hatake._ He always thought, when he silently watched the team of four entering Konoha gates. He was always hidden while watching – it wasn't difficult, his chakra was now so low, he didn't even need to suppress it.

Somehow, always, Minato-sensei knew he was there, though.

The blond would smile at him, sometimes wave at him, invite him over – later.

But he wouldn't go. He wouldn't smile back. He wouldn't acknowledge his sensei unless there was no other way.

Kakashi – _no, Hatake –_ was away. _Somewhere_. Training, Minato-sensei had said.

_Well, duh. He got new toy to play with, 'course he wants to train now._

There was nothing, now, to amuse him. To stop the depressing thoughts that always came plaguing his mind.

"_You were good for nothing _before_, Obito." Kakashi had said. "If you want to be a shinobi, you have to stop being such a child and _train_ hard." he had said._

_That was true. But he had also told him to stop being _loud_ and _colorful_ and _cheery_. He had told him to stop being _him_._

"_Then maybe I don't _want_ to be a shinobi." Obito had said, then, and left, leaving his hitai-ate in the dirt and dust of Konoha street. He had walked away slowly, couldn't move faster. Every part of his body had still hurt and he hadn't had the reason to overcome it anymore. Kakashi had had enough time to catch him, to explain, to _talk_, but he didn't._

_And then he left._

"'S not so difficult to be a civilian." Obito laughed bitterly. From his fingers hung an old book just as dusty as the narrow isles, as the shelves, as the other books, as the old man teaching him how to sort the volumes, how to organize.

He liked the books, when he didn't need to read them.

In the third isle on left he found a space in between two similar books. Pushing his one there, he watched the dust coloring the tips of his pale fingers.

_I am even paler then Hatake, now_.

_But much more dirty_.

He had long ago learned not to sneeze.

He had long ago learned how to see in the shade. Darkness, even.

He had long ago learned how to hide from the world.

"You still there, Haichu?"

He had long ago learned not to state his true name while hiding.

He was still a shinobi somewhere in the archives, but no one came looking for him – no one could find him. Not down here.

He was hidden within the depths of books and long forgotten knowledge. He was hidden within the long lost family of madmen and insane witches – pagans.

Weird, the were. Insane. Paranoid. Long forgotten just like the volumes they kept sorted beneath their house. Just like their names and reasons. Just like Obito was, now.

"I am here, sir." Obito whispered back.

He liked this work. Not only because he could spend his whole day there, holed far away from the cheery and sunny streets of ninja village. No, not because he obtained access to lots of information no one knew anymore, even. He hadn't read them, anyway.

_Maybe I could._

_Nah. Don't like reading._

No, he liked it easily because of the _people_. Just because they seemed to _like_ him.

They were _weird_ and _insane_ and _fanatic_ and _paranoid_, but they _liked_ him.

Rin never liked him. She just knew they had to get along to be a team.

Kakashi hated him. And never bothered to hide it, anyway.

Minato-sensei.. Well, Minato-sensei _had_ to like him at least a bit – he had been his student.

His family – the Uchihas – despised him. He was the black sheep. Never good enough. And when he finally obtained the sharingan – his last opportunity to become stronger – he almost died, giving one of his eyes to the _White Wofl of Konoha_ junior.

_'At least I survived'_ was what he soothed himself with. But maybe, just maybe it was not such a win after all.

"You can go home now, Haichu, if you want. It's already half past ten." came the old man's voice again, old and slow and rough and throaty as always. But kind. Always kind.

"Thank you, sir." he whispered back. His voice was hoarse, he was thirsty. And he didn't want to go home, anyway. They could try to reach him, and they would be able to find him there. "But can I stay here for the night?"

He always whispered when down here, with the books. He always got the feeling of being in a sanctuary. So many whispers when he turned pages. So many shouts when he let the book fall. So many silence, when he was just standing there and _watching_.

"Yes."

He didn't even expect anything else.

It wasn't the first night he would spend there, in a small guest room with too much windows to the forest-like garden, too much flowers inside, too much light there, when the sun was shining. Not much of a furniture, though. Hamaka hanging from the ceiling. Soft carpet and lots of pillows on the floor.

And not one book. That's why Obito liked the room.

Not even a chess board to mock his natural disability to strategy or think logically.

He liked the room very much – more so for the possibility of climbing trough one of the windows to the garden.

He liked to wander trough the dark of night surrounded by trees and streams and weird shadows and sounds.

_Maybe I could try to see with sharingan tonight.._

He climbed the steps up watching as his bare feet left footprints in the dust.

The dust always fell so quickly down there.

* * *

Obito picked three plates from the wooden cupboard – he had to stand on his tiptoes to reach – and after he regained his balance, he went to set it down onto table.

Trough the open doorway he saw that one of the kids was already sitting on his high chair, merrily swaying his legs and leaning on his elbows.

"Good morning, Chu." giggled the little boy and his red-brown eyes lit up upon seeing the young Uchiha. His feet were hanging thirty centimeters above the ground.

"Hoy, Ke. Where's your otouto?" Obito asked kindly just to trip over someone's legs stretched on the dark carpet. He didn't drop the plates nor himself only with difficulties earning a laugh from a boy about five with startlingly fair hair and dark brown eyes.

"'s not my otouto." The older kid answered from behind the table. Obito offered him a smile and carefully stepped over the youngest.

"He's not?" the Uchiha chuckled comparing their features. "You are very much alike.. Well..apart from the hair." he smiled laying the plates on the wood. Keraku immediately reached to set one in front of himself, second on his left and the last one to the other side of table.

"We are like.. cousins. Or something." The youngest of them piped up with a hesitant smile. He reached his arm to the door frame pulling himself on his legs and stretching.

"Hmhm." Ke agreed. "You could say that my aunt and Sila's father are cousins, therefore we are _somehow_ related."

Obito understood. _Ke somehow reminded him of his own 'cousin' Shisui, the boys both being very petite but tough; cheerful and intelligent. Even the color of their hair and eyes is similar. _The thought forced a smile upon his face.

"I get it. It's complicated." Obito grinned. He disappeared to the kitchen and returned just a moment later with chopsticks for the boys and a cutlery for himself.

He wanted to learn how not to poke his eyes out while using a fork or a spoon. And the kids liked the chopsticks.

"So what's for dinner?" he asked curiously.

"Aunt made a goulash." Sila said and pointed to a pot on the other side of table.

Ke nodded watching with amusement the chopsticks Obito was handing him. "I can't eat goulash with sticks." he pointed out. "It's _liquid_."

"Spoon then?" Obito suggested.

"I will get them. For you as well." the littlest boy chirped and jumped down from his seat.

Obito watched him jog to the kitchen – his light hair oddly reminding the Uchiha of his te.._ex_-teammate.

He sighed. _Can't wait for the dinner to end. I want to go _out_!_

* * *

"Did you find out anything interesting today, Chu-nii?" Sila piped out watching him with his not-so-innocent eyes.

"No. Why?" Obito raised his brows.

"Well.. you _did_ spend your day holed down with _books_.. Didn't you _read_?" Keraku titled his head sidewise, expressing his curiosity with a gesture so much _Kakashi_-like it was weird.

"I don't read."

"..." the youngest boy watched him in wonder. "_Woooow.._" he breathed out. "And _can_ you read?"

Obito flushed. "Of course I can!" he defended himself. "I just don't _like_ it.." he mumbled, silently adding: "_Can't sit still long enough.."_

"How do you _learn_, then?" Ke blinked.

_I watch. And I lis- I _don't_ listen to my sensei actually. I watch. When I have something or _someone_ to watch. And when I am willing to watch. Like.. I won't watch Ka-Hatake. 'Cause he's jerk. And.. _"Heh. I don't."

"Sugoooooi!" the boys exclaimed in unison.

* * *

"So how do you like the food?" Keraku asked watching his friend with wide eyes.

"..'s good.." Obito said hesitantly. It was. He just didn't get why would the boy ask. It's not like they ate together for the first time.. And they never asked.. _Never_. _Did they put something in there? Like, I donno, olives? Or poisoned mushrooms? Well.. they _did_ once say they have high tolerance against poisons..._

"Alright!" Ke said cheerfully turning back to his own plate. Obito's gaze traveled quickly between the youngster and his food in panic.

"..Whyyy?" he whined and poked the goulash with his spoon.

"Aunt said pep-pepperoni are in it. So it hurts your tongue." Sila said innocently and blinked at him with his childish eyes.

Obito looked back down and shrugged. He didn't mind. It tasted _good_.

"Yeaaah.. aunt said maybe you won't like it, 'cause it's like .. _'swallowing a fire'_.." Ke added.

"Hu. Nah.. it's good." _Anyway. I _don't_ mind swallowing a fire.. I _am_ Uchiha. _"And you two don't mind it? It _is_ a bit hot now when you mention it.."

"Am used to it already. Dad told me I used to eat fresh pepperonis when I was little." Keraku said casually and Obito couldn't help but think: _As opposed to _what_?_

"And you, Usagi-chan?" Obito poked his tongue at the youngest making him giggle. Or was it the nickname?

"I am 'k, Neko-kun." the boy shoot back while holding up his glass. "I have milk."

* * *

_Bored. I am bored. Oh soooo booooored._

Obito rolled onto his back and gazed up. He was laying on the floor. Yes, on the floor. He just didn't feel like climbing into the hamaka.

"What to do, what to do.." It was late. He had about two hours before the sun would be up on the sky again. He knew he would probably go hide down again, so he should sleep now.

_That's right. I didn't sleep.._ He thought to himself, for his days seemed to blur one into another. He was never sure what had happened that day.. and what the day before. And before. And before..

_I should write a diary._ Obito giggled. _Dear Diary. I am a bookworm. I have never finished any book. But I am a bookworm._

He sighed suddenly serious. _Today.. I spent in the dust._ He raised his left arm watching his palm curiously as if never seeing it before. It was clean.. White and clean and almost gray in the darkness. _Then I babysat my brothers. _That thought made him smile a bit. He had two little brothers who needed him. Not like Shisui who was already 'too big to be cuddling his cousin', yeah I know Fugaku-sama. Not like chibi Itachi who would gladly pierce his sharingan with a kunai already. And not like Kakashi who was so cold.

_Then they forced me to tell a fairy tail. So I told them about Kushina-onee-chan rescuing Minato-sensei. He would be oh so embarrassed if he knew Kushina-onee-chan told us. _Obito giggled again absently wondering whether he was loosing his mind.

Maybe he should reach his sensei and get back to active duty. With Kakashi being away there would be no one to lower his self-esteem.

_Then I went for a walk, Dear Diary. Took a bath in the pond. The water was freezing and it was nice. And now here I am. Too lazy to climb to my nest. Too afraid of _light_ to go to sleep. Ah! Spider!_

Obito watched in fascination as the tiny creature climbed from the ropes of his hamaka onto the ceiling with slow careful moves.

"Hoy there, Kumo-chan.." Obito whispered in a sudden fascination. The spider didn't stop his travel until he reached the corner and disappeared Obito's gaze into the shadow.

_Sharingan._ Obito ordered and let the weird, but soothing circling chakra envelope him and change him and move him. _Manipulate_ him. He could feel his own chakra streams changing their directions until they were copying the swirl of his eye.

"...I wonder.." Obito mumbled to himself as his eye penetrated the shadow. It was weird. The colors were off.. Everything was more sharp, more red. The contrast was too high and his vision was kind of _bent_. The center being the sharpest, as opposed to the blurred edges – _surrounded by mist_. "..how do you hang there... Without falling.. I can't do that."

The Uchiha titled his head. He was sulking.

"Oh. I will be able to do it. You just wait, you. Kumo-teme." He said after a while and gracelessly scrawled to his feet. "You just wait."

* * *

"Ha! See? I told you." Obito informed the tiny spider while hanging upside down from the ceiling. He had pushed his swirly chakra into his feet and climbed up.

The spider didn't look very impressed – no, it actually stayed just where it had been for the last few minutes – comfortably sitting in it's web. _Sleeping.. are you?_ Obito leaned closer watching the unmoving creature with something akin to fascination.

"You have eight legs. How weird is _that_? Well.." He caught a sight of a movement with his sharingan and concentrated to his left. "Ah! Your little otouto, ne, Kumo-chan." the Uchiha said cheerily and watched the speed in which the arthropod moved.

"Hayayiii!" Obito exclaimed and knelt up to get a closer look. He almost fell – forgot to re-channel his energy to stay hanging.

"Oooh.. just _how_ do you move like that?" the boy blinked and tried to move on his four, sticking to the ceiling riskily just on his fingertips and his bare tip-toes. "One leg, second leg, third leg, fou- oops.. I have only _two._" he wondered out loud while trying to copy the creepy grace.

"But it's okay. It's not so difficult, after all.." he mumbled while moving from one leg to arm, to the second leg. He managed to get to the other side of ceiling without falling down.

"That's fun.." he yawned. "But it's enough _spider-_ing for today.. Maybe tomorrow I will try again." He chuckled to himself and channeled his chakra into his palms. Obito slowly let his legs and the lower parts of his body hang down until his heels touched the reassuring threads of his hamaka.

"Good night, Kumo-sensei." He yawned again while cuddling around his pillow. "Good night.. Minato-sensei. Don't be angry with me." Blanket was thrown over his head so that the early morning sun won't penetrate his eyelids in the next hour or so. "Good night... Rin." _I don't have anything to tell you. _

"Good night Kakashi. Wherever you are. Good luck with the training, I have never hated you." His eyes were already closed and the words were spoken silently and slowly.

"Good night Father, Mother. Fugaku-dono, Mikoto-dono. Shisui-chan. Itachi-chan... Sleep well."

* * *

**sensei - teacher  
shinobi - ninja  
hitai-ate - forehead protector  
sharingan - special ability of the Uchiha clan  
usagi - rabbit  
neko - cat  
onee-chan - older sister/big sister  
kumo - spider  
otouto - little brother  
dono/chan/sama - suffixes**

**Well, I hope you liked it. :)  
**

**Any questions or comments? You can write me a rw or message, I will only be glad.**

**And nice day.**


	2. Of new pets and old friends

**Hello again :)**

**second chapter. New pets, old friends.**

* * *

Days went one after another. Similar to each other, yet unique was each one of them.

Obito crept in the shadows of the garden with wide grin on his face. It was spring. Yes, it made him sneeze, but everything was much more colorful and alive than before.

It had been interesting few months he had to say.

He learned a lot. He even got to know some of the books down there – aunt read them aloud for him sometimes while he was down there sorting the rest. And so he listened – it was hard not to, the pleasant flow of words the only thing to entertain him for hours.

Obito's ears picked up a silent noise, soft padding of some animal. He grinned. He loved tailing animals.

Sometimes he would even train – taijutsu only. Or... hand-to-hand combat, more likely, because they were no ninja. He would train with aunt, with the other young people from the family, or sometimes even with the kids.

He had never defeated Keraku. The boy was dangerous.

Obito moved himself up and forward, silently bouncing from the ground to catch himself on the lower branch of a tree he had been hiding behind. He caught himself and pulled his whole body upwards.

_Good thing I wear the bandages, too. _He thought when he felt the sharp texture of wood beneath his fingers.

Laying himself flat on the branch the young Uchiha looked carefully around. He saw nothing and even the pads weren't to hear anymore.

_Sharingan._ He ordered and let himself be lost in it again.

Everything around him changed it's shape and color – it looked slightly apocalyptic. _Blegh. I sooo don't like it._

But he caught dark red spot, moving, pulsing – a heart. Life force. The opposite of chakra.

_Kai._ Obito let the chakra leave rather gratefully, inviting the half-darkness of the forest gladly. He concentrated on the spot where he saw the life energy and almost fell down from the branch. Caught himself spider-like with the tips of his fingers and toes strengthened with chakra.

And down beneath him, in the shadow, crouching, hiding and lurking was a _cat_. Large and black like the night, it's eyes vibrant green and half-lidded, it's whole body like a string.

_What the flying fish is a _panther_ doing here?!_

Obito tried to climb back up, but the feline was creeping closer, and closer, it's eyes on him, it's teeth sharp and white.

_Oooooops. _Obito thought, because he was used to avoid swearing so he didn't really know how to swear, but he guessed it would be nice right now.

_Maybe I should look up some nice swear-words... for special events like this._

But the cat was already next to him bouncing strongly from it's hind legs and gracefully landing on top of Obito's branch.

_Oops! _Obito thought again and let go of the wood, lest the animal would claw his hands. He landed in a crouch, rather ungraceful, if he had to say himself.

He was watching the cat slowly creep forward.

_Why am I not scared?_ Obito blinked when he caught himself admiring the animal's grace.

_Well.. who the flying fish cares!_ He thought when the cat landed right in front of him, it's teeth shining. The cat looked as if smirking at him, but he caught a shine in it's eyes – looking like desperation.

_Shut it, Obito-teme. You can't be going and forcing human emotions onto _cats_!_

Obito grinned back and crouched to lower his center of gravity. He reached his left hand to his right inner-thigh unsheathing his tanto. He circled it in his wrist – that was not necessary, it just looked bad-ass – and reached his right hand to grab the wakizashi blade he kept attached to his back.

He _didn't_ like _the_ blade. It had an Uchiha crest on it's handle. However he favored shorter blades, so he didn't really have a choice – he _could_ return this to his parents, it was after all a part of their family branch heritage, and buy another one. But _this_ blade was quality. And so he kept it.

"Koi, Neko-chan." He taunted breathless, excited and the cat strained and jumped at the exact moment Obito hewed with his two blades.

From then, it was a blur. Blur of movements, too fast for even Obito to understand, he let his body move on it's own accord. Dodging, jumping, rolling, attacking.

He was covered in blood – mostly the cat's, however. He got only few scratches and a bite to his left knee – hurt like nothing else, however bones are tough and before the cat could do any damage, he had cut it's neck with his tanto. The cut was mortal – but not yet.

"You are going to die soon." Obito whispered and was surprised by the deep sadness he felt. It was a shame such a beautiful animal had to die.

The cat gave him a _look_ and crept closer again, it's whole body shaking and the black fur reddened by blood. It growled deep in it's throat and Obito knew that the most dangerous and tricky part was _now_.

The feline moved to attack again, but Obito moved quickly behind it and pinned it down with his wakizashi, piercing it's heart in the process.

"I am sorry, Neko-chan. I never wanted for you to die." he murmured and carefully rubbed it's head, trying to calm it. It snapped at his fingers and Obito just so managed to dodge.

"Nice seeing you fight until the very end. Sleep well, beautiful one." he whispered and watched until it's head fell down, the tension in it's body disappearing and the oh-so bright eyes dulling.

"Such a shame." He said to himself and closed it's eye-lids.

* * *

It wasn't until few minutes later, while he was cleaning his blades in a stream his clothes already hanging on nearby branches dripping wet – just like himself – that he noticed _another_ presence. Hesitant and _small_ and _scared_, few steps away from him – watching him.

He turned around startled and caught a sight of small animal, but black. Only two green – bright and startling green – lights told him _where_ it was.

"Oh no.. Please _no.._" Obito moaned when he realized what it was. "So you _were_ desperate, after all.. Neko-chan. You had your little kiddo here.." he stalked closer, noticing the cat wasn't afraid of him.

"I am _not_ your Okaa-san, you dunce." The cat only mewed back at him, radiating happiness and content.

* * *

And so, Obito got himself a pet.

* * *

Other than that, and few episodes that were just plain _weird_, his life was monotone and calm.

Weird episodes like moving around the village accompanied by the kids and _stalking_ anyone and everyone they met.

Or cooking with aunt. _That_ was the weirdest.

Or speaking with Minato-sensei without the man knowing it was Obito.

Or.. well, a lot of things.

* * *

And so he was surprised – and little bit scared – when aunt told him someone would like to talk to him, some shinobi. And that he would be waiting for him outside, so if he wanted to talk to him, he shouldn't let him wait. And if he didn't want to talk to him, he should just tell and they would be _very_ happy to get rid of him.

Obito swallowed. They were _scary_.

"I will go meet him, thank you."

The aunt smiled and handed him a clean green yukata, because his clothes had blood stains and holes. He quickly put it on and turned around to look at himself in a mirror – his hair was longer, reaching just beneath his shoulders, and a bit tamer. He wouldn't recognize himself. And so he grinned and touched the left side of his face to hide his scars under an illusion. It changed his face completely, he even thought the shape and color of his eyes shifted a bit trough those few months.

"Well, let's see him recognize me." Obito smirked and straightened his back. He was taller.

"Koi, Neko-chan, you are going with me." he informed the little kitty which was napping on one of the pillows. The cat looked up and gave him a bored glance.

"You should probably name him, Obito-kun." aunt said with a teasing smile.

"Yeah, I kn-wait, what?" Obito's eyes widened in surprise. "What did you call me?"

"You think you are so smart, little Uchiha." the woman cackled cheekily and rubbed his head. "We knew who you are from the start.. Well, and _acronyms_ aren't the best nicknames, anyway."

"Oh... I see.." Obito mumbled and felt himself flush. "I guess...Well, I will be going now.. And I _will_ name him, promise."

"Keep the yukata. And remember you can come back here whenever you want. _Alone_." aunt told him and Obito noticed slightly insane glint in her eyes.

"Eh.. of course. Thank you."

* * *

First stairs, second stairs, small garden, third stairs, hall, corridor and _here_. Obito stood to halt in front of the main door and steadied his breath.

_Who could it be? Minato-sensei? Sarutobi-sama? ANBU? Fugaku-dono? Or... Kakashi? _His heart skipped a beat – maybe, just maybe he would see his fr..ex-friend again.

Obito forced a smile onto his face – he knew that was unlike him, he grinned or not. But he learned to smile a small, kind and _insane_ smile while here. And he will use it.

The young Uchiha opened the heave door and stepped outside. He felt the presence – his _guest_ was leaning against the wall on his left. Obito faced him calmly.

It was Kakashi.

* * *

**So what do you think? Interested? Bored? Disapointed? Heh,well.. don't hesitate to let me know.**

**And if you have any question - _ask_. I will try my hardest to answer truthfully and honestly.**

**Today's vocabulary:**

**sensei\sama\dono\chan\kun - suffixes**

**bandages - at this point _not_ the medical bandages, but those you use in Martial Arts to protect your wrists, ankles, palms, knees... etc.**

**sharingan - special trait, or skill, of the Uchiha clan  
**

**kai - end**

**teme - suffix (idiot)**

**koi - come**

**yukata - traditional wear**

**wakizashi - kind of a blade - mostly like a katana, but a tad bit shorter**

**tanto - blade, about as long as a knife**

**I will try to make it _tomorrow_, or the day _after tomorrow_. Keep watching, if you like the story so far.**

**Have a nice day and _smile_!**


	3. Of Tempers, Bluffs and Lies

**Hello again.**

* * *

_It was Kakashi._

He was the same as when he left. Just a tad bit shorter than Obito now, slim and arrogantly calm. His hitai-ate was titled to cover his left eye – his sharingan. His right eye, the gray one, however wasn't looking at the Uchiha, no. Kakashi was absorbed in a small book Obito had never seen before.

At least he _looked_ absorbed. There was no way knowing whether he was actually _reading_, or just looking at the pages and observing his surroundings.

Obito cleared his throat and the white-haired shinobi finally raised his eye to watch him. _Analyze him_.

"How may I help you, jounin-sama?" Obito asked, he was careful to talk a bit softer and higher than he would usually. He didn't want Kakashi to recognize him so easily.

He wanted to have his fun first.

Obito watched as his ex-teammate's eye darted from his face, to his hair, to the yukata he was wearing, to his face again, to his eyes, down to his bare feet and the obvious absence of a weapon pouch on his left thigh and back to his face.

When he finished the observation, he looked bored.

Obito almost smirked, but didn't want to ruin it just yet. He knew that his 'innocent eyes' he had been training to achieve so hard, together with the fact he had no _visible_ weapon and his low reserve of chakra, accompanied by the 'jounin-sama' part should make Kakashi believe he was a civilian.

And it did.

"Could you call Uchiha Obito for me?" Kakashi asked – no, more like _demanded_.

Obito blinked and titled his head in a sign of defenseless confusion: "Who?"

Kakashi's one white eyebrow disappeared to his unruly hair. "Uchiha Obito. A shinobi." he repeated.

"There is no one by the name inside.." Obito said with a confused air about him. _Heh. I didn't even have to lie.. I am _not_ inside, anymore._

"He may be going by a false name, I know I followed his presence _here_."

"Well, if he is known by a false name, I wouldn't recognize him by his true one, would I." Obito taunted and got himself a glare that could freeze the whole Uchiha population. But he was already used to that one.

"I suspect you already know who I mean. However, if you insist: he is slightly shorter than me," _not anymore.._ Obito thought, "has black hair, unruly, probably short." _Again, not anymore, Kakashi. _"Black eyes, one of them... can turn red, to put it simply."

_You really think civilians are stupid, don't you. 'Can turn red', honestly._

"Oh, he has a scar. Really big. Over the whole left side of his face." Kakashi watched him carefully, searching for some sign he recognized the person.

"Haichu!" Obito said happily – he wanted to antagonize his _friend_.

"Who is Haichu?" Kakashi asked, even though Obito could see the jounin noticed the acronym.

"My cat!" the young Uchiha smiled widely – something he knew made him look slightly demented – and pointed to the feline sitting in the doorway. _Well, maybe I should give it _the_ name, even though it's demented._

He watched with amusement and fascination as Kakashi's eye widened and then narrowed, an angry flush appearing just above his mask.

"Are you _trying _to make me angry?" the jounin asked coldly and finally shut his book, putting it into his vest pocket.

"No. I am _succeeding_ in making you angry, Hatake Kakashi." Obito returned just as coldly. Watching the man loose his cool was fun. He got why Kakashi always acted like such a jerk. It was _fun_.

Kakashi concentrated on breathing to calm himself. Obito smirked.

"You seem to have an advantage on me, _boy_. You know my name."

"And you know mine.." Obito whispered, but knew Kakashi heard him.

His eye widened again and he raised his hand to his left eye. _He wants to _see_ me._ Obito thought and stopped his hand quickly before Kakashi could.

Holding his wrist he saw Kakashi study their connected hands – Obito would bet he didn't see him move.

"You shouldn't use _that_ sharingan against me, Hatake Kakashi. Who knows _how_ would it end, forced to fight _against_ it's true master." he said in a low voice – he _knew _he sounded bad-ass – but the face Kakashi pulled was _very _satisfying.

"..O-..Obi..Obito?" the jounin managed to stutter, so shocked he even forgot to wrestle his wrist free.

"One'n'only, Hatake. You forgot me already?" Obito smiled bitterly and let the illusion fall for Kakashi to see his scars.

"So whatever would you want with me, _jounin-sama_." Obito asked and let his wrist free. He closed the front door with a kick – there was no need to hide himself anymore.

* * *

**So? What do you think? :) What about writing a _report_ and giving me _some _motivation? **

**Vocab:**

**shinobi - ninja**

**jounin - a shinobi rank (third and highest of the most usual)**

**sama - suffix (very respectful; the lack of suffix signify a closeness between two people, or rudeness in addressing) **

**sharingan - trait/skill of the Uchiha clan - enable them to see _slower, different.. who knows_, can be used to _save_ moments into memory ( -.-" I should probably use some wiki explanation)**

**Haichu is an acronym of Uchiha.. can be seen as truncation of a high form of poetry _haiku_**

**Kakashi means scarecrow. But you probably didn't need to know. :D**

**Well, _scarecrow_ in my language is written as _strašák._Write me a review with the same word in your language, ne? Will be fun ;)**

**Have a nice day and _smile_. It makes _everyone_ happy.**


	4. Of Babies and Homes

**Hoy, I am here! :)**

* * *

"You changed, Obito." Kakashi said and Obito was surprised to hear _sadness_ in his voice.

"So? Aren't people _supposed_ to change when they grow up?" Obito shot back immediately. They were slowly making their way away. Where, Obito did not know, but he trusted Kakashi not to lead him to a forest and kill. That would be against the _rules_ and if Kakashi looked up to anything, it would be _rules_.

"Yes. But I never expected _you _to change." The 'I never expected you to live long enough to change' was left unsaid.

Obito looked away to hide his eyes – they stung. He _knew_ Kakashi didn't think highly of him, yes, but he didn't need to _hear_ it.

"Where are we going?" he asked instead and tried too look as if very attentive to his surroundings.

"You know Rin died, right?" Kakashi asked instead answering. But it didn't matter, after leaving the main road Obito recognized to path to be the one leading up to the monument. Memorial monument.

"Yes." he lied. _There is nothing more I need to tell you, Rin._

Kakashi hung his head. "That's good..." he whispered, "I was afraid I would be the one to tell you, Obito – Obito, I.."

"What is it, Kakashi..?" Obito asked when he noticed his companion stopped dead on his tracks. It didn't look as if the jounin wanted to answer. His head was bowed and his only visible eye was covered by his hair.

"Well?" Obito urged with a frown – there was something terribly _wrong_ with the mood the jounin was in.

"Nothing." Kakashi finally raised his head and even managed to put on a horribly false smile. "Let's train together, sometimes, okay?" he said still with the smile that hurt Obito even _watching_ so he just nodded dumbly.

It seemed like the jounin said everything he needed to, because he stood still and silent and Obito stood silent as well, even though not so still.

"What did you want to tell me, anyway? If you needed to find me.."

"Minato-sensei told to go find you. And tell you to visit him today." _I see.. so it _was_ Minato-sensei who wanted me to stop hiding after all.._

"I see. I will visit him, thank you, _Hatake-san_. You may go home now – you finished your quest, after all.." Obito shot back at him and started down the path – back the way they came from.

He climbed down to the main road before Kakashi even said anything: "..I will see you tomorrow morning."

* * *

"Minato-sensei? Sensei?" Obito called out stepping into the small front-garden of his teacher's house. It was nice little place, with two stairs and a second, larger, garden behind it.

When no one answered, Obito jogged lightly to the front door and knocked few times. He was in a good mood.

"Sensei? You home?" he called again and waited for few moments. He even leaned close to the door listening for any noise. He caught hurried footsteps – the sound was strangely blurred and Obito guessed it was because it was echoed over and over again by the corridor walls.

"Sensei!" he called happily and let a grin appear on his face.

"Almost. Should I dye my hair blond?" came a cheerful reply from behind interrupted only by the key turning in the lock.

Obito laughed and took a step back so the opening door wouldn't hit him. "Please don't, Kushina-onee-chan. I don't think it would suit you."

The wooden door slid open to reveal the red-head's pouting face. "_Everything_ would suit me, Obito-nii. Just ask Minato."

"He is biased." Obito assured her with a huge smile. She was _fun_.

Kushina laughed merrily and let the boy inside. "You should listen to him, he is your sensei."

They moved together trough plain white corridor to the very end where Obito knew the living room was. Kushina pushed the door open and Obito let out a little "oooh.."

_Seems like the happy couple did some decorating while I was licking my wounds in a hole._

The living room was made in wood and dark red decor, from the big sofa in the left corner, to the bookshelves in front of the whole opposite wall. In front of the sofa was small table and the corner, where there were no books, was made into comfortable looking dais with pillows and the littlest tables.

"I don't think sensei would like for us to agree with _everything_ he says. And it's beautiful room, Onee-chan." Obito added when he noticed Kushina was watching him for a reaction.

The woman let out a happy squeal and threw her arms around him, beaming.

"Careful, she is taken." came teasing reprimand from the doorway and Obito quickly turned around, letting go of the woman in the process.

"_Sensei!_" Obito exclaimed and made two hushed steps towards the blond man, before he reminded himself that hugging his teacher was probably supposed to be very embarrassing. He scratched his head.

"Welcome back, Obito." the man decided his worries for him when he stepped over the rest of their distance and hugged him tight enough to wind him.

"Thank you sensei." Obito whispered feeling little bit teary.

"Did you manage to sort yourself out?" Minato asked letting the young man go. He held him at an arm length to properly inspect him.

Obito nodded feeling a bit nervous to be under that scrutiny.

"That's good." He finally let his student go fully and smiled a radiant smile, Obito couldn't help but return.  
"So.. Sensei, what did you need to tell me? That you even went to that length as to send _Kakashi_ for me." he chuckled a bit and Minato gave him a _look_.

"Kakashi was surprisingly eager to do it, you know. Do you want tea?"

Obito blinked at the sudden change of conversation and just numbly nodded. He let himself be pushed to the pillow-corner and sat down leaning against the wall. Minato sat in front of him with his legs crossed and Kushina left the room. Probably to cook the tea.

"We _all_ missed you, when you left, Obito." Minato's eyes were startlingly serious.

The Uchiha hang his head – he didn't think anyone would really miss him, if he holed himself away.

"If you can avoid it, please don't do it again."

"I promise it, Sensei."

It was unusual for both of their characters to stay silent, but somehow they managed it, for those exact seven minutes it took Kushina to make a tea and return back to them with a tray with three cups a tea pot and a bowl of cookies on it.

"Oh? I am surprised, you are both so silent.." she commented immediately and sat the tray down.

Minato chuckled and took it upon himself to serve the tea while Kushina settled herself comfortably next to her husband.

"Did Minato tell you? We are having a baby." Kushina announced happily and Obito noticed a shine in her eyes – bright with few shades of insanity.

"Wooow!" he breathed out and felt the same wonder and insanity he saw reflected in her eyes. "When? Soon? I didn't notice! Is it a boy? A girl? What about a name?" he shot question after question urgently without thinking that he didn't even give them enough time to answer.

Kushina giggled and Minato smiled that smile of his, that made the temperature raise and sun dull in comparsion.

"Wait." Obito suddenly stopped himself. His eyes were wide. "I am going to be big brother!" he shouted and grinned so wide Minato for a moment feared he would dislocate his jaw.

"Of course! I count on you to protect him and spoil him senseless!" Kushina grinned sharply back at him. "That reminds me.." Kushina titled her head and tipped her chin with a single finger. "..Mikoto-chan is going to be a mummy as well."

"Really?" Obito smiled. "Wee 'Tachi-chan's going to be a big brother?"

"He's not so wee anymore." Minato cut in suddenly and Obito almost jumped from his skin – he forgot the man was there. Judging by the smirk the blond gave him, Obito was _very_ transparent. Minato sipped from his cup and laid it back onto the table.

That reminded Obito and Kushina of their own tea, so their drank a bit as well.

"They are thinking of selling the kid to the academy, already." Minato frowned and made it obvious he didn't agree with that decision.

"That's stupid." Kushina informed him calmly.

"I know." the man smiled and put two sugar cubes into his cup.

"I will try and talk some sense into Mikoto-chan." she nodded to herself.

"I don't think that will work, Kushina-onee-chan, since you don't have any sense yourself." Obito teased and just barely dodged a playful smack directed at his head.

"Funny, Uchiha. Did you spend those months training in front of a mirror?" she shot back. Minato's eyes widened and he made a shunning moves with his hand.

_So he thinks this is a _sore_ topic for me? I guess it is, but.. well.. this _is_ Kushina-onee-chan.. so it doesn't really matter, right?_

"Yes of course, these stunning acting skills can't be ignored, ne?" he joked back and chuckled when Kushina let out a loud cackle of joy. Even Minato managed a smile himself.

"Back to your questions, comedian."

Minato smiled again, this time looking much more relaxed – that was probably _safe_ enough topic for him.

"The date is in October... so we still have seven months to make _everything_ perfect for him." Kushina smiled that insanely happy smile again.

"So it's a boy, then?" Obito asked.

"We can't know, yet. It's too soon." Minato said at the same time Kushina exclaimed:

"Yes. His name's Naruto."

The room was silent for a moment and Kushina kept on smiling happily and Minato was staring at her with raised eyebrows. The blond sighed.

"Kushina, dear.. We can't know yet, we will have to wait at least until the fourth month to be sure.. and even if it _is_ a boy, we are definitely _not_ calling him _Naruto_."

"Whaaaat?" Kushina asked shocked. "It's a nice name, ne? Ne? Obito?" they both turned to him making him choke on the tea he was drinking.

"Well, I _do_ like the name, however it's not my place to.." he trailed off when he noticed no one was listening to him anymore. He sighed as well and leaned on his elbows to watch the couple's exchange like one would watch an interesting soup opera.

"See? Even your _student_ likes it!"

"Well, Obito is crazy!" Obito didn't feel insulted. That was _nice_ crazy his sensei meant.

"So? He is going to be _his_ big brother! Naruto's big brother!"

"He's _not_ going to be called Naruto!" Minato said desperately.

"Yes! Naruto! Naruto! Naru-"

"Stop saying Naruto over and ove-"

"Naruto, Naruto, Narutonarutonarutonaruto!" Kushina started chanting – she had stood up just as Minato had and they stood face to face. Obito was amused to note that Kushina was taller.

"Blablablablablablabla – I can't hear you – blablablabla-" Minato answered with a chant of himself, while he covered his ears with his palms.

Obito laughed. They were _so _crazy, those two. He just hoped little Naruto – and he _knew_ Kushina will win the argument, just like always – will be just as crazy and cheerful. He would teach him to annoy Kakashi, just for the hell of it.

* * *

When they quieted down – because they eventually did – Kushina excused herself, because she was tired. Obito had to say it probably _was_ late, after all. But he was used to being awake trough the night, so he didn't feel sleepy.

He was left alone with his serene looking sensei. Both were sipping their tea rather calmly.

Obito wasn't surprise by the almost meditative mood of the room – while they were both rather energetic and _loud_, the blond man radiated calmness while calm himself.

"The reason why I asked you to come visit me.." Minato suddenly stated. He didn't look up from his tea, but Obito was watching him intently.

"Well – I had more than one reason, actually." the blond smiled and scratched his head. "For first, I wanted to know how you did. You never talked to me, even though you _had_ to know I saw you."

Obito nodded. He didn't feel like explaining.

"The second reason was to let you know I will be a father. Oh, I was nominated for the Hokage as well, the old man said he wished to retire."

"Really? Wooow! My sensei will be a hokage!" Obito clapped his hands. "Congrats."

"I haven't agreed, yet." Minato smiled. "I will, but it will make it difficult to training you two.." the man shrugged and Obito knew he would think something up.

"Well.. the third was that I think you have been relaxing long enough. We all need to get back to work."

"Are you sure? My chakra is-" Obito was interrupted.

"You chakra doesn't really matter. You are still a shinobi. And if you ask me, you _are_ ready for the chuunin exam whenever you want. We will just have to find you two teammates.."

Obito's eyes widened in surprise. Him – a chuunin exam? Really?

"So tomorrow at seven sharp at the training ground four. _Be _late, or else no one will recognize you." Minato smirked and Obito couldn't help but chuckle.

"Yes sir!" he saluted and stood up, ready to leave.

"Now, good night, Obito. Go _home_. Not where ever Kakashi found you, but _home._ I know a lot of your relatives actually _was _worried about you."

"Good night, sensei." Obito said and surprised himself – he actually obeyed and went _home_.

* * *

**Well? What do you think? :)**

**Vocabulary:**

**sensei - teacher**

**chuunin/jounin - rank of a shinobi (second and third rank)**

**chakra - the energy (mind energy or something)**

**onee-chan - big sister**

**nii - suffix as well, meaning brother**

**Hokage - the Shadow of Fire :D (well, it's the name for the leader of the shinobi country)**

**Smile :)**


	5. Of Parents and Other Precious People

**Hello.**

**Listening to our national musician Tomáš Klus and his Dopisy and Malčik and _others_. _Do try, if you are in the mood :)_**

**Not depressing pieces, but I _do_ feel a bit down. Poor Obito, he is forced to be as well.**

**Read, enjoy or whatever you wish.**

* * *

"Mother? Father?" Obito called a bit hesitantly to the spacious hall of their house. He was met with definitive silence, but he was sure at least _someone _was home.

"Mother?" he tried again, because he didn't really want to talk to his father.

"Hello?" Obito heard deep voice calling back to him from the study room.

"Father?" the boy frowned and made his way towards said room. He was little bit hesitant, because he hadn't seen either of his parents for those few months after being released from hospital and he knew they will have something to say about it. And coming from his father.. Well, it won't be pretty.

And they didn't come to visit him when he laid awake deep within the hell of white walls and sedatives. Well.. neither did Rin. Or Kakashi. Minato showed once or twice, but Obito told him not to do it. And Kushina was there almost every day.

"Obito? Is that you?" the Uchiha senior asked trough the corridors. Obito stopped just in front of the sliding paper-door leading to his father's study.

"Yes." he said back and leaned against the wall, the room being behind him.

"Really? Really you?" his father repeated. _What? Does he think I _died_, or what?_

"Of course. May I come in?"

There was silence for a moment, then: "Yes."

Obito breathed in and out one rather heavy gulp of air before sliding the door open and trying to look as dignified as he could.

"Father." he greeted with his sight turned respectfully down.

"Obito. Where have you been." the man stated. Obito closed the door and looked up. The room was dark, only lit by a set of candles on the low table, and his father was sitting in front of it. He didn't look like working, just sitting and gazing into the darkness.

Obito thought about the answers he could give. He knelt down on the soft tatami mat right behind his father. That was, after all, how he was taught.

_I know I _can't_ lie, he will see right trough me. So.. 'I was in the library.' That would without doubt bring the question: 'For several months?"_

_The second possibility was: 'I was working.", which would only gain him deep disapproval._

_'I was on a visit.' wouldn't work as well. I am not allowed to visit anyone other than family or my team._

Obito sighed. "I needed some time to sort myself and find a way to _fight_ even with my.. handicap."

The Uchiha was silent for a moment and Obito knew he was weighing the answer.

"I see."

Obito let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

"Have you found a way?"

The boy always wondered just _how_ his father managed to always sound so _calm_.

"I will always be able to fight somehow." Obito said and didn't mean the combat skills. "I will start training with my team -" _or what is left of it, anyway,_ "tomorrow morning."

Obito saw his father's shoulders heave – a sigh. "That's good at least."

They were silent for a moment again.

"Obito." the man said again and Obito got the impression that he would be told something _bad_, something very, very, _very bad_, once _again_.

"Who died, Father?" he asked before he could stop his foolish mouth – but the mood was so similar to the one before. He couldn't help it. Kakashi had called his name in the same tone, in the same voice, in the same depth.

The man stood up and walked towards his son. Obito stood up as well, because he knew that's what his father wanted, for them to stand face-to-face, eyes-to-eyes. He caught a flesh of his father's sharingan and his own fought for release, but he didn't call for the swirly chakra. He _didn't _like it.

"Your mother."

* * *

Obito laid awake on the soft cushion of his _own_ bed with his eyes open too wide for the late hour.

_Dear diary, _he thought. _Dear diary. I died. It's true. I even have my name written on the memorial. Father said he brought flowers. They thought I died. Him and mother. Mother was ill._

He felt as if he would be sick, but didn't bother trying to stand up and move himself into the toilet, because his head was swimming and he felt too weak.

_It's as if the fact I have had close to no sleep and too much excitement in the time after Hospital caught with me right now._

He had cried, of course. There were no more tears to let wander free anymore, and he didn't have the energy, lest he _would _cry.

For himself as well as for his mother. And his father.

Because he had seen it. His father was just so _happy_ he had got his son back. He had thought he lost everything.

_So that's why they didn't visit me. Sensei hadn't told them I survived until few weeks ago. I wonder if he had told Rin and Kakashi... I just thought they left me.. as well._

Obito ran his hand trough his still wet hair – he had taken a bath to ease some tension from his body. However it didn't help him feel warmer. He sighed.

_I could ask Kakashi.. Whether he knew I survived. Or why he didn't visit._

He knew he should just sleep, he was tired enough. The problem was, that he didn't feel _sleepy_. Or he did. Just every time he closed his eyes he saw _faces_.

The face of his mother.

"_You should be nicer to Hatake-san, I am sure he is a charming kid.. invite him over for tea, when you finish this mission, ne, Obito-chan?"_

The face of his father.

"_Your mother. She wasn't feeling well the last three months. Maybe it was the stress, we thought we lost you.. but it had been coming for quite some time... You know, son, there are deceases no one can fight. And she tried, your mother. And it helped her that we stood by her.. but she lost."_

The face of his sensei.

"_Now, good night, Obito. Go _home_. Not where ever Kakashi found you, but _home_. I know a lot of your relatives was actually worried about you."_

The face of his teammate.

"_I will see you tomorrow morning."_

The face of the girl he loved.

"_OBITO! WATCH OUT, WATCH-"_

And again.

"_How was your day, dear? You are _freezing_! Come help me make a hot chocolate.. We can make some for your father as well.. And then.. I could show you how to play piano, ne? You liked it when you were child- Yes, I_ know_ you are an adult. But for me you are still the little fluffy_ something_ that stared at me for almost twenty minutes when we saw each other for the first time."_

"_Sit straight. You are a heir to third branch of the Uchiha family."_

"_If you had pushed your chakra into your legs, you wouldn't have fallen in the first place! Now. Concentrate – I can't stitch your arm while you are jumping around like a fool."_

"_You are late."_

"_You idiot! Why can't you just _shut up_!"_

And again.

"_Obito? Dear? Why are you sulking in the garden all alone? It's already midnight!"_

"_What does _that_ mean? Did you wish to disgrace the family name?"_

"_So what about ramen? Hmm? Hmm? Ramen's good!"_

"_I would tell you to try and use your brains before your mouth, but your mouth is obviously too large, and your brains none."_

"_..."_

And more, the faces covering each other, blending, appearing and dancing in front of his lids, one next to each other, over another one, behind another one, under another one. Too fast.

"_Your father wished to speak with you, dear. Be nice, please. He doesn't mean bad, we both love you."_

"_..."_

"_Are you alright? You didn't even shout at Kakashi today.."_

"_You are not fit to be a shinobi. You will be a burden to the team."_

"_Kakashi is right, listen to him."_

Obito screamed.

* * *

**Eh. I don't really know what to make of this chapter...**

**Vocabulary?**

**tatami - in terms of MA those are.. well.. _mats_. In terms of everything else.. probably as well..**

**sharingan - kekkei genkai**

**Kakashi - scarecrow / vogelverschrikker / strašák**

**san/chan/any other - suffixes**

**ramen - **

**See you (probably) tomorrow.**

**Smile!**


	6. Of Music and Long Lost Pictures

**About thoughts and feelings and emotions and art and music and family and psychology and the need to be accepted.**

* * *

He gave up trying to sleep after an hour. Leaving the not-so-warm nest he had made of his bed, shuffling around his room to find some warmer clothes. He found dark purple robe, a bit battered but long and warm and though he knew his father despised the peace of clothing he wouldn't meat him wandering the rooms and corridors.

His father was asleep, just like he should be. Just like he would like to be.

_I can already hear Minato-sensei and Kakashi-teme.. 'You should sleep, you won't have enough energy to train properly.' Just you wait, Hatake.. I will show you just _what_ I learned._

The thought made him feel warmer, but not for long. The cold shadow of his loss was hanging over his head like a spider web. The madame Death, like a huge spider kept on hunting for his tears, with each growing a bit.

_Mother.._ He directed his thoughts towards the sky where he knew the moon was somewhere, but he couldn't see it. His windows were faced wrong.

He padded out of his room, feeling as if he would suffocate, barefoot and wrapped in the thick robe. The halls and corridors were deserted, of course, for it was already close to second hour in the morning, and silent, oh-so silent.

Obito's steps echoed back to him again and again, ridiculously loud, attacking his sensitive ears from every direction.

He didn't wander the house for long. Only those silent minutes filled with noise of his own feet and frantic heartbeat thumping from inside of his chest. Opening one another door to let himself inside of which ever room he happened to stumble over.

He stopped in the doorway thunderstruck. It was his mother's study.

It was a just a small room, without windows, but there was enough candles to illuminate the large oak table, wholly hidden under stacks of papers, some clear white, some covered in paragraphs of text or scribbles. There were no chairs and Obito knew she preferred being able to be in constant motion, and so standing, or sitting on the table with her legs crossed, completely engrossed in whatever it was she was doing.

By the wall opposite of the doorway stood an easel with unfinished oil painting and he realized with a jolt it was one of him – he was standing by a stream in the Uchiha main mansion beneath a blooming sakura tree, holding a head of eight years old Shisui and on his shoulders carrying Itachi, the boy being already almost six, just like he was in the presence.

But they were all smiling. He knew _this_ never happened, for them to be together and so happy, but he liked the gentle smile of the painting-himself and happy grins of the young boys. They looked like a family.

He even saw the painting-Itachi had his cheeks dirty and his fingers also, but they were tangled in Obito's hair, so he was sticky as well. He knew he wouldn't mind.

But the picture was unfinished and he almost wished he could draw, so that he could add the fluffy clouds that should be over them, the falling leaves and the light to their eyes, because they were dull and dead.

_Just like her. Dead and unfinished._

He moved his gaze away so he wouldn't see the last thing his mother had worked on and noticed her old piano. He had known it was there. How many evenings did he spent there with her, just listening to the soft music and watching her fingers dance, or try to play himself and get better and better and better, until he could spent hours enveloped in his own melodies.

And his mother drew him, playing and he had never seen the painting and didn't know where it was, just that it was _somewhere_.

He hesitantly crossed the room careful not to step on any paper or brush or color or plectrum or music sheets or _anything_. The whole piano had a dust threw over like a blanket and he left fingermarks on it when he opened the cover and the flaps looked just like always and the stool was just the perfect high and so he sat and let his fingers wander just like he had been wandering around the house.

The melody flooded around him destroying what was left of reality and catching him into the web of calmness and colors and harmony and _love_ and reassurance and everything else he had been searching for and so he got lost and tied and was glad.

Obito wasn't sure how long had he been playing or how on earth had he managed not to notice the footsteps or the figure leaning against the doorway, but when he let the last tone flutter away leaving nothing but an echo of unending silence and hollow memory of _something_, his father was there and wasn't moving, but just standing and staring into nothing and silent.

"Father?" Obito asked in something sounding almost like a squeal, but he was caught of guard and so he tried to dry the salt water he felt on his cheeks and face and his nose was running, he knew, but could do nothing about it.

"You got your mother's talent." the man commented and Obito was surprised to see his eyes a bit teary so he looked away to spare his father the embarrassment.

"She used to play for hours when you were just a baby -" Obito managed to choke down a snort, the thought of _his father_ saying words like _baby_ was very bizarre, "and it always calmed you down."

The boy nodded to show he understood what his father was implying, that he was like his mother when music or _art_ was concerned and he had already know it, but..

"The path of shinobi is void of most emotions, most pleasures and it was chosen for you to walk it. And while I do not wish for you to feel as if forbidden to satisfy your hunger for these skills, know that your status should not be taken lightly."

And Obito finally knew what was his father telling him in the darkness of dust and art, because he had been hearing it from the day he stopped crawling and made his first step and yes, he was the heir but it hadn't meant anything and it had seemed to mean everything to his father. But now.. hearing those words, not exactly the same, but too similar, he realized what had mattered was _him_ all along and neither _him_, nor his father could change the blood in his veins and so they both _had_ to act like they had to, but it didn't change anything, did it..

"I do understand, father." he whispered back trough the room.

"I heard those words too many times, however tonight.. I do believe they are true for the first time, Obito." the man turned around but stood still by the door as if thinking something over.

"Do sleep well, son, if you can. If you do not wish to rest however, come find me and I will teach you chess." the Uchiha said and Obito knew it was not request but still he was touched and didn't even tell his father he _knew_ how to play, he just couldn't think more then two heaves forward and strategy was a swear word for him.

"I am going, father." he said and moved from the room closing the door and thinking to himself he will have to come again and take the unfinished picture to frame it and hang it into his bedroom.

His father even waited for him and both made their way silently side by side to the private room of the head of the family, where Obito knew the chessboard was and when he looked up while his father was arranging their pieces his eyes caught a picture in a beautiful old frame, a picture drawn by his mother, a picture of himself playing and looking so happy he didn't remember he had ever felt.

It was _the _picture he had been searching for so long for.

* * *

**Ow. Well. Very little dialogues, made me raw and listening to the song and the words (A zatímco ty ležíš ve vaně a snažíš se zastavit krev teče ti po rukou a zasychá na šatech a svázané ****zápěstí ****páskou na koberce a malý kluci kreslí na sklo kosočtverce. Když z těla vyprchá život je klidné.. klidné, klidné, klidné / And while you lay in the tub and try to stop the blood it comes down your arms and dries on your dress and wrists tied with a carpet tape and small boys draw on glass the rhombs. When live vanishes from the body it's calm.. calm, calm, calm..) hounts me and we _do_ have some really screwed songs, don't we..**

**It's 'Neklid' by Tom Klus but in czeck so it doesn't matter.**

**I don't think there is any words I should explain and you probably already know those words so I don't need to do it anyway, right?**

**Well, see you tomorrow or the day after and write if you wish to, I will be glad and _smile_.**


	7. Of Mornings and Cats

**Hello today :) just short one today, I know.. I have a very pleasant visitor, so I needed to finish for the day.**

* * *

_Colors. Everywhere. One over another, creating another beautiful shade. They didn't have a shape, neither a purpose._

_They just were. And then – they all blinked into white. Obito tried willing them back, because he _liked_ them and they calmed him and the white was too warm._

_But the white was much more persistent and even accompanied by a _sound_, which was something weird and wrong, because colors couldn't talk, and there was nothing else._

_But it was still there – a voice, maybe? And Obito resigned himself to the noise and opened his eyes -_

And it was morning.

"You should probably get up, son."

"Thank you father." Obito mumbled automatically and tried to stop the headache, but in vain. He just caught his father leaving the room – witch was the room he felt asleep, surprisingly, but he was in a bed and covered with warm blanket, so his father had to carry him, because he felt asleep on the chessboard – leaving on the low table just a cup of warm tea, and Obito could smell it was mint, and a plate with two slices of bread with honey.

And so he slipped out of the bed, just barely noticing the chess piece he had obviously been holding while he slept, and sat down, happily munching his breakfast.

Halfway trough the second slice he finally looked up at the clock and noticed that he still had twenty minutes, so he probably won't be late.

"Well.. being a bit less sleepy, this would be _perfect_ day-start." he commented to himself and drank a gulp of his still hot tea, the liquid pleasantly warming him up.

Three minutes later found Obito in the bathroom where he was trying to comb his shoulder length hair – and surprisingly succeeding – all the while staring at himself in the mirror.

_Just _how_ did I manage to get the chess piece imprinted into my cheek?_

Because of course right on his cheek – the one without scars – was a perfect picture of the horse piece, nice and clear.

Obito sighed. _The inconveniences of falling asleep in the middle of a chess game. But nothing I can do about it. _Realizing it _will_ disappear in the next hour or so, Obito decided to ignore it in a favor of tying his hair into a ponytail.

_I could learn how to _braid _hair, that would be fun_. Obito grinned to himself, _I could wear those braids all the fantasy elves wear_. He chuckled.

_I am loosing my sanity._ The Uchiha heir decided and left part of the hair falling over his scarred half of face, despising how those always reminded him of his mistakes.

"Goodbye, father!" he called cheerfully while jogging out of the door. He even turned around – and continued to run backwards – and waved, even though he knew it would not be seen.

_I still have thirteen minutes._ Obito hummed happily and turned left on the small path, thinking that _this_ one can take him _anywhere_ he would like to go, and went to collect his new little pet from aunt, where he had left it before visiting Minato.

There, he got invited for a coffee, and who he was to refuse a caffeine, even though it always made him high, and after explaining to the boys that he really _couldn't _take them with him, because he was going to do a _shinobi_ training, he was two minutes late.

_See, sensei.. I _can_ obey orders._ He grinned and made a handsprings on the wet grass on his way, just because he could.

"I would ask you why are you late _today_, but I can see that you were busy playing _chess_." Minato teased immediately upon Obito's arrival and he smiled back, little hesitant, because he was expecting Kakashi to have some nasty comment, but that didn't come.

And when the Uchiha looked around to see why, he realized it's probably because Kakashi _was not _there, therefor couldn't have made the comment.

"Good morning to you as well, Sensei." he greeted firstly, because it was polite, and everyone always wanted him to be polite. "I can't see the _ever-cheerful_ Kakashi? Got tired of waiting and went home?"

Minato laughed and shrugged. "Well.. he haven't arrived, yet." the blond admitted a bit sheepishly. "He usually comes hour or two late, so no surprise.."

Obito blinked. "And you _let_ him?" he asked incredulously, because had it been him, he would have his head for sure.

"Well – we _were_ just two of us for the training usually, so I just told him to be here two hours earlier than I wanted to start and we would meet easily.." Minato explained and Obito didn't even make a joke about it, because he was speechless.

"And I forgot to tell you the _right_ time yesterday, so I had to come early as well.." and when the Uchiha looked at his sensei more carefully, he could see he didn't try to civilize his hair and didn't look truly woken up either and so he laughed as well.

"I see.. Well.. we _do _have two hours than.." he stretched and sat down on the grass heavily. _I could be still sleeeeepiiiing_, he moaned inwardly.

"Hey, sensei." Obito suddenly grinned and waited until the blond made himself comfortable in front of him and looked up. "I got a pet! Look!" he reached on the back of his neck where the little feline made itself a nest, obviously, and gripped it's tiny body with his hand.

Obito showed the cat under his sensei's nose and it looked at him and mewled pathetically, obviously not being glad to be woken up, either.

"A _cat_?" Minato smiled and took it from Obito. He laid the kitty into his lap, but it didn't look like eager to fall asleep and clawed and tried to escape.

"Well, for now." Obito shrugged. "She doesn't seem to like you, sensei.. are you a _dog_ person, or what?" the Uchiha asked cheekily and the cat finally managed to break free of the hands holding it and made to get back to it's owner.

"What do you mean, _for_ _now_?" the feline poked the wet tree with it's paw and – it _was_ wet – looked up with utmost disgust, so Minato gave into it's wishes and handed it back to the Uchiha.

"Well.. it's a _panther_." Obito gesticulated with his hands as if to explain that having a _panther _was perfectly normal. Said panther meanwhile made itself comfortable inside of Obito's t-shirt, almost hanging from his shoulder and looked like dozing off.

"How did you get a panther?" fortunately the blond looked more amused than angry and so the boy decided to explain, a git vaguely, though:

"It's mammy died.. and it wouldn't survived.. so.. yeah.."

"Does it have a name? And is it a girl or boy?" Obito grinned when he remembered himself asking almost the same questions about sensei's child yesterday.

"It's boy.. and well.. I thought about naming him _Haichu_."

"I see no problem with that." Minato smiled.

* * *

**See you tomorrow or the day after :)**

**_Smile!_  
**


	8. Of Time and Missed Stories

**Short, shorter, shortest. Listening to True Colours (as a tribute for Brian and Dexter, the Blood Brothers)**

* * *

It was very surprising to all three members of their team, when Kakashi arrived only twenty minutes late and looking as if in a good mood.

"You are here early, Kakashi-kun." Minato was the first to recover from his shock and ruffled the young jounin's head, which earned him an angry glare.

Obito yawned and moved to stand up as well. He cracked his back with a satisfaction.

"I deduced that by this time even _Obito_ would be here already." Kakashi shot back with a scowl which was much more usual on his masked face.

"_Thank you_." Obito said calmly. He didn't quite think arguing would be for the best – Minato-sensei _did_ have a temper when woken up early. And judging by the frown on the blond's face, he hadn't had his morning coffee either.

"Maa, you are welcome." the white wolf of Konoha smiled his patented fake smile, even though Obito could detect a hint of uncertainty coming from the teen. After all, normally Obito would already go for Kakashi's neck by this time.

"Obito came on time, Kakashi." Minato jumped into their conversation before it could turn nasty.

"I don't really believe _that_."

"Well, I am here, for one, you see.. and I was here _earlier _than you.. and I was already dozing off by the time you came stomping here." Obito remarked and was quite satisfied when he saw Kakashi giving him a surprised and slightly offended stare.

"You play _chess_?" the teen suddenly changed the topic, showing just how bewildered he was.

"Yes. My favorite game." Obito answered and by the way his teammate and sensei looked, only one noticed the heavy sarcasm. And it wasn't Kakashi.

"We can play, I am rather good." _Too bad I am not. _

"Well.. yeah.. you know what, come for a _tea_ and chess after we finish here." Obito mused out loud with his eyes turned somewhere upwards. "Mother will be happy."

_See, mother.. I _can_ obey your instructions.. A tad bit late, I know, but better than never, ne?_

Obito saw Kakashi exchange _look_ with Minato-sensei and realized they both _knew_ his mother wasn't alive anymore and were wondering whether _he_ hadn't been informed, or was just turning insane.

"Ehm.. Obito-" Minato started with unusually gentle tone, but Obito stopped him with a raised palm.

"I probably _know_ what you want to tell me, and if by some chance _not_, than I don't want to."

It obviously wasn't the best think to say, because they both started _staring_ and Obito felt like grilled chicken or some other thing under constant attention. But it _did_ stop Minato from trying to _gently_ inform him about the _tragedy_.

_It is my bad for being away for so long.. Eh, time to turn the page.._

"Ne, Kakashi, look – I got a pet!" he said sweetly and tried his best to look honestly _happy_ and it wasn't so difficult then – because Kakashi's face turned to one of utmost disgust and he even took a step back.

"You got a _cat_?" he asked with the same disgust coloring his voice. "Why _cat_?"

Obito blinked and grinned: "Are you _whinging _Kakashi?"

"No!" the teen barked and Obito could see bright flush peaking from under the face-mask. "It's just.. couldn't you get something else...? Like.. a _dog _for example?" the look on his face was so comical that Minato started laughing hysterically.

Kakashi glared at them both. "I _don't _like cats."

"Well too bad!" Obito cheered. "'Cause he's mine and will come with me _every day_." he stressed the last words and laughed as well at the look of desperation on Kakashi's face. "C'mon, he's not so bad!" Obito rolled his eyes when he stopped laughing. The cat – maybe knowing they were talking about it – hissed at Kakashi with it's eyes in slits.

"I can see that." Kakashi nodded sarcastically. "Maybe I will make it meet Pakkun."

Obito looked at him with a scowl. "You try to harm my _pet_ and I will introduce you to my _own_ claws." the Uchiha warned coldly.

"Stop it! Both of you." Minato said and both of them turned to look at him instead of scowling at each other.

"Hai, sensei." Obito and Kakashi chorused and stood higher, because Minato used the _'voice of authority' _as Rin had once dubbed it.

"We have a training to do."

"Yes, sensei." Kakashi said and Obito started smiling – _training_. A _normal_ training. It'd been so long.

"So you two start with a _light_ spar. Kakashi – no sharingan, no jutsu, no chakra. Obito, you neither, of course. Just sparring."

"Hai."

* * *

It tookObito longer to stretch and warm up than Kakashi, but he knew he would only get injured had he not been careful.

"Ready?" he looked over his shoulder at Kakashi who had been watching him with a thoughtful look. Kakashi nodded.

"I am as well." Obito turned around to face his opponent while the jounin made those few steps necessary for them to stand face-to-face just two more steps from each other.

"Weapon?" Kakashi asked.

Obito shrugged. He didn't really care. "Whatever we have." he answered an could see Kakashi agreeing.

_So you will use kunai firstly, won't you, Kakashi. _Obito titled his head to the side and made an internal check of his own weapon: _I didn't take my wakizashi, only tanto. _He realized. _That's bad_.

Kakashi made a step left and Obito copied him. They were watching each other for any sign of an attack. Obito saw Kakashi's eyes dart away for a second, but didn't make a use of that opening. He wanted Kakashi to begin.

_I am used to fighting with two blades.. and I only have the one. And a set of kunai, but I don't like to use them. _Obito contemplated how he should fight and watched as Kakashi reached into his pouch.

The Uchiha immediately threw himself left and rolled over his shoulder. Above himself he heard the sound of _something_ flying and stood up again. He hid himself behind a tree and closed his eyes – listening, planning.

_Two sets of shuriken. I can use them to divert his attention, but not to fight. I have a set of throwing knives and while they are a _bit _better than shuriken, that still won't help._

Kakashi was moving into the woods as well and Obito knew he would be in an advantage – they had been banned from using sharingan, therefore Obito's ability to see in a shade would help him.

_I have my hands. And a cord. And I have the tubule with darts otouto made for me. And I have the neurotoxin I am supposed to be building resistance to.. something paralytic or something._

Obito's face split into a grin. _Heh. Darts plus poison equals unhappy Kakashi._

The Uchiha quickly reached into his jacket and from the pocket took out an ampoule with clear liquid. The darts were found in his pants and he dipped the tips of five out of the ten inside. Obito held the poisoned darts in between his lips, because he had to cover the ampoule and hide it back.

When the only thing in his hands was the tubule he allowed himself a small smile, careful not to drop the darts. He could hear Kakashi creeping from one shade into another, but he was still covered with a tree – they couldn't see each other, yet.

_Time to start the game._

Obito darted from behind the trunk and jumped over a death tree. He stopped breathing for the moment he was out uncovered and he knew Kakashi had seen him.

And sure enough, when he laid in the dirt completely hidden by the branches and their shadows, he caught a change in the pattern of Kakashi's steps.

Obito knew he wouldn't have been able to catch those soft sounds, but he had grown used to listening to even the most silent noises in the night.

He wormed his way more into the branches, hoping that the sound of leaves could be misunderstood with a wind, until he could see his surroundings but still be able to disappear in any moment.

_I would use a foxhole or something out of here.._ Obito thought as Kakashi's steps moved closer, because he found himself a base, but with no way out.

_I will just have to hope for a good shot. _The Uchiha thought as he put one of the darts into the tubule and the other into his palm. The tubule was cold when it touched his lips and Obito could finally, _finally_ see Kakashi's silhouette, crouched and sneaking, but still visible for his eye.

_Heh. Watch out, ne, Kakashi.._ Obito smiled and breathed in one large gulp of air.

* * *

**Guess I will see you the day after tomorrow ;)**

**Enjoy hanging from the cliff until then.**

**_Smile._  
**


	9. Of Brothers and Fights

**Hoy :)**

* * *

_Heh. Watch out, ne, Kakashi.._ Obito smiled and breathed in one large gulp of air.

* * *

The dart flew out from the tubule with a swizz and it was a good shot, straight at Kakashi's chest, but the jounin dodged. He dodged the second one as well and Obito realized a flaw in his plan.

He had shot those darts from the same spot. And Kakashi would be able to realize that.

_Oops._

Obito shot the third one just because he could and watched as his opponent _caught it_.

_He makes everything look so _easy_.. _Obito thought crossly and shot the fourth. Kakashi lazily moved right. Even from the distance the Uchiha saw that Kakashi was studying the dart. He licked the tip.

_Ew.._ Obito made a face. _Wait. He will recognize the poison.. Oops._

He reached into his pocket for one of the darts without poison and shot it, immediately followed by the poisoned one, slightly to the left, because Kakashi usually favored that side.

The jounin side-stepped the first one _to the left_ and the second one caught his shoulder, because he couldn't react quick enough.

_Yes!_ Obito cheered and silently made his way from his hiding place into the open. He lost Kakashi from his sight for a moment, but immediately sought him out when he poked his head into the forest.

_There. Did he really got paralyzed? I didn't think it was so strong.. _Obito frowned when he saw a figure laying on the ground.

_I will have to apologize.. that wasn't very nice to shoot him down like this.. _he thought as he made a careful, but quick, way towards his fallen enemy. He halted a step away and reached to unsheathe his tanto.

He let out a breath when he suddenly got his legs kicked from under him and he had to make a half-jump lest he would fall flat onto the jounin. Who was smirking up at him.

"You forgot I already have most of the resistances. I played it."

_Well.. we _are _shinobi. We _do _cheat.. _Obito grinned to himself as he finished his roll with a turn, easily changing his steps into one of Konoha's stands – _tenkan_. His tanto was ready in his left fist, turned so that it's blade came _after_ his palm and right hand raised level with his face.

_Hand-sword, they told me.. let's see if it works._

Kakashi flipped onto his feet as well and with a reserved move unsheathed his own sword, he held it diagonally at the level of his own neck, a position Obito knew is effective when come to blocking and very easy to reverse into attack. When fighting with _one _blade only, thought.

_Means he won't use any other weapon, well.. maybe a shuriken or two to distract me._

The Uchiha could see that his opponent was judging his as well, probably feeling a bit curious – it was very unlikely for Kakashi to had ever seen a stand like this.

And then Kakashi _moved_ and he was _fast_. Faster than the last time Obito had seen him. _Figures.. he have been training hard.. and sharingan can help him coordinate better.._

Obito stepped to the side and forward, invading Kakashi's personal space, because he knew _that's _what makes people lose their balance and it wasn't very difficult, either, to block the jounin's sword with his _hand_.

Obito's palm connected with Kakashi's elbow stopping the sword little too close to his throat, but it worked. He stepped behind the jounin not letting go of his elbow.

_How would you like the _key_, Kakashi? _Obito grinned and moved Kakashi's arm so that it was locked in between Obito's arm and Kakashi's own shoulder. The Uchiha knew it _hurt_. And he knew these kinds of game could even make one's shoulder dislocated. Bones broken. Nasty stuff.

Kakashi was forced to move backwards and tried in vain to break his arm free. The only way out would be to fall backwards and use the momentum to surprise his opponent, Obito knew.

But he got a surprise – he didn't notice Kakashi's hand reaching into his weapon pouch until too late, when the cold metal of a _shuriken _of all things, was biting into his shoulder, deep, deeper and into his pressure point, and his arm went numb.

Obito jumped back to get out of Kakashi's reach and tried to move his right arm, but in vain. He rotated the tanto in his left palm again and again and again. He was thinking.

_How should I fight with _one_ arm?_

Obito sighed and sheathed his tanto back where it should be and changed his stand. He stood straight and relaxed at the first sight, but he was tense and ready to move at any second. Both his arms were down. No defense.

"Are you giving up?" Kakashi frowned with disbelief.

"Of course not. Uchihas don't give up." Obito quoted his father. "You should know it, Kakashi. You are halfway from the family."

"How come."

Obito smirked. He knew he was just trying to win some time, hoping he would be able to regain some sense into his poor arm. By the way Kakashi was looking, though, it was not very probably.

"You _do_ have a sharingan. _My_ sharingan." the Uchiha said and shrugged. "That technically makes you my _brother_." he mused.

"Really?" Kakashi blinked.

"Well. _Technically_. I wouldn't want a brother like you." Obito watched as Kakashi's eyes widened.

"I guess. Wouldn't want anyone _stronger_ than you to be your brother, right?" he shot back and it was all over again, insults and biting responses, but Obito didn't react like he would normally. He didn't _want_ to.

"And you would have to _dye_ your hair black. And that would look _weird_, you know."

"Black hair's weird, you are right on that one."

"I am sure my father would be delighted to hear that." Obito smiled. His arm was still cold and unresponsive and a tad bit _bloody_, and while it hurts a _lot_, it was better than feeling nothing.

"Anyway. You still _are_ technically my brother. Poor me." the Uchiha teased and even stuck out his tongue at the jounin who looked more and more angry.

And Kakashi attacked.

Obito, who was expecting that, moved a bit to the side, but not out of Kakashi's range, no. He got a caught of Kakashi's forearm, not unlike his last try, but didn't hold onto it. He moved a step back and intentionally fell down onto his back using Kakashi's own speed to send him flying over his head with the hold on his arm. Obito sped him up a bit by kicking his stomach and rolling him over into the fly.

The thud of Kakashi's body was very satisfying, but Obito didn't have the time to congratulate himself, because the jounin was _fast_ and already back on his feet and the Uchiha had only so much time to roll away, lest he got himself pierced with kunai.

"Nice shot." Obito breathed out when he flipped himself up facing Kakashi again. The next kunai he diverted with one of his own, immediately followed by another one. Kakashi dodged.

"Thank you."

Neither of them was breathless, yet.

Obito ran to the left to dodge another flying missiles and took out the throwing knives to respond. With a flick of his wrist he sent them flying and saw that his opponent had a bit hard time dodging them – he was unused to them.

With only three knives left, Obito moved closer to the jounin. A hand-to-hand combat was favorable to both of them and all the running around, dodging and throwing was boring.

Obito moved the three knives in between his knuckles to use them like something similar to claws and jumped closer. He led the attack from Kakashi's stomach up towards his face and the jounin just barely dodged. Obito used his energy to finish a turn with a kaiten and managed to cut Kakashi's cheek, but only because the jounin _let_ him, he realized, because before he could finish his move his wrist was in a lock.

_Kote_ _gaeshi_. Obito hissed when he heard and _felt_ his wrist cracking a bit.

"I give up." he said _calmly_, which surprised Kakashi. The jounin nodded and released his wrist.

"It was a good fight." Kakashi said and Obito was a bit insulted that he sounded so _surprised_.

The Uchiha rolled his eyes. "How long till I can use my arm?"

Kakashi shrugged. "Two, three hours.."

"_Thank you_." Obito gritted trough his teeth, but knew he was being unfair. It _was_ a fight. Of course both of them would give it their best.

Kakashi looked at him a bit awkwardly. "Your wrist's alright?"

"Yeah, yeah.." he answered but tried to carefully move it. And it didn't hurt, so it was alright. "Let's find Mina-sensei, he would be afraid we killed each other."

"Alright."

* * *

**Much more fighting. And noone's talking to me :(**

**Vocabulary:**

**kote gaeshi - a _very _interesting twist of a wrist (kote means wrist) when you point your opponent's fingers to your _hara_ (the area of your stomach..easily said..); it's similar to the _key_ lock because you kind of have to get his wrist _behind_ his centre of energy.**

**kaiten - a turn, very easy one - basically you let your legs in the position similar to the letter "J" and just turn around without moving them. The only thing to shift is your weigh from one feet to the another and back. And you shift your energy, 'fcourse.**

**tenkan - like kaiten, with the difference of one additive step-when finished kaiten, the front legs move behind the hind one.**

**See you the day after tomorrow and _smiiiile!_**


	10. Of Lost Ones and Friends

**Hoy. Sorry for the delay - it was _very_ hectic week (well, monday and tuesday) cause I got to my college and I am just starting. So I am _lost!_**

* * *

"Who won?" Minato asked when the two students finally entered the dusty long-range part of training grounds 9. And he wasn't alone. Next to the blond sensei stood a lean figure, coated in black and with a mask on it's face. A katana on it's back. But that wasn't what made them weary, no. The figure was an ANBU.

"Sensei..?" Obito looked curiously at his mentor, who looked cheery even in the company of the gloomy warior. Kakashi frowned.

"And Kakashi won." the Uchiha said when it looked Kakasho won't do it himself. _Of course_. Obito wanted to add, but didn't.

"Really? Well.. I should have guessed, right?" Minato smiled. "Any injuries? Yes? Kakashi..? _You _are bleeding.." the disbelief was clear.

Kakashi nodded. "Obito caught me with a knife." he informed them without elaborating. He obviously didn't want to speak further while the ANBU was listening.

"And you, Obito?"

"He decided to paralyze my _whole_ left arm. And crack my wrist." and Obito _knew_ he was whining. "But it should be good in a few hours... And who is our guest, Sensei?" he decided to be brave and directed the question to the masked guard. He met his eyes with his own and the ANBU held it for a moment. And then he _smirked_. At least it looked like that, it was hard to tell with the mask.

"Tora came to watch and decide." the guard sang in rather high voice – for a man.

"Yeah.. well. That explains." Obito rolled his eyes. ANBU or not, he hated cryptic answers. Kakashi looked at him with a raised eyebrow, a look clearly saying: _Are you sane?_

_Yes I am. Well..probably._

"I applied for the job. Tora-sama probably came to see if I am fit being an ANBU." Hatake answered with his eyes downcast.

"What made you go for _ANBU_?" Obito asked sceptically. "They are _lost_." he said.

"_What_?" the question was followed with two amused glances and Kakashi wasn't even looking at him.

"Well.." Obito tried to explain himself, because he didn't really want the guard to think him childish, "My mum used to say they are _lost_. As in.. well.. they just _are_!" he threw his arm up to make his point and because it was difficult to explain, but the ANBU looked as if he knew what it meant, even though Obito himself knew it only partly.

"She was very wise woman." the guard spoke up and Obito sent him a scowl because of the _was_. It wasn't his business, after all.

"And how did you _decide_ O-lost one?" the Uchiha asked rather rudely. _I _don't_ want Kakashi to be _lost_, so fail him already and let's have a tea._

"Tora decided to pass him – on _one_ condition." he quickly added when Obito gave him an evil look his father would be very proud of.

"What is the condition?" the both teens asked at the same time and exchanged looks. Minato was smiling. What was there to be happy about Obito did not know.

"You _both_ apply and work as a team. Or neither will be taken."

And it came down onto them as a _hammer_ and Minato stopped smiling. Kakashi for once didn't have a smart reply and in his eyes there was a fear and confusion.

_So yeah.. both of us or neither.. _"What is your reasoning, soldier?" Obito commanded in the manner he learned from his father and Fugaku-dono, the ANBU clicked his heels together and stood straighter. _A soldier._

"- Tora decided upon watching that.." _not so high and mighty, are you, soldier.. _".. that the.. _subjects_ .. work good together and shall not be separated."

"So we are subjects?" And Obito knew the soldier was lost, because he talked to him as a superior would and therefor couldn't be dubbed a _subject_, but still he was one.

"Don't torture him, Obito." Minato came to save the poor lad with the smile back, but not so happy, not so true.

Obito rolled his eyes. "Well. Tora will listen to _my_ decision now." the Uchiha drawled in imitation of the ANBU's speech. "I. Do. Not. Want to join the _lost_ ones."

Tora looked at him and then at Kakashi and Minato and back at Obito and finally Kakashi again.

"I will respect that." the teen muttered. "And never try again."

"Wait! _What_? It was your _dream_ to join! Why..why are you giving up _now_?" Obito got a hold of his teammate and began shaking him with each word of his in disbelief.

"What are you expecting me to do?" Kakashi answered in the same furious tone and smacked his hand away. "Other than paralyze your right hand as well." he threatened.

Obito ignored the second sentence completely, but didn't make a move to grip his shoulder again. "I don't know. Well. I do."

"Yes?"

The Uchiha nodded. "You were supposed to argue with me and tell me to join as well, even though I am good for nothing -" here he ignored Minato's snort and Kakashi's hesitant disagreement, because it was so unlike-Kakashi, "and then promise to train me so that I _would_ manage and persua- no, _make_ me agree to join."

"But you _don't_ want to join." Kakashi said silently. "I would offer but.. you _don't want to_." he gesticulated wildly.

Obito sighed and shook his head. "I don't really care, you know.."

Kakashi looked up and he visibly brightened. "Than it's decided."

"Yeah.." Obito agreed and the mood grew solemn and kind of peaceful, because they finally found a link and found each other and found some place to belong to, even though the place was for the lost ones.

"I am not going to allow it, no." Minato spoke up suddenly in an unusually grave voice. "I am not going to allow my _students _to join ANBU."

"You allowed me to apply." Kakashi narrowed his eyes. "Did you presume I would fail?"

"No. I _hoped_ you would fail, but no. I _presumed_ you would get accepted."

"Than why?"

"It's _you_, Kakashi. Obito is.. well.. _Obito_."

"What does that suppose to mean?" surprisingly, before Obito could ask, Kakashi barked angrily the same question. Minato didn't look surprised, though, so that left only Obito feeling as if he missed some crucial part of the conversation.

"The _lost ones_. Kakashi – you are independent and antisocial. Perfect ANBU. Obito, sorry Obito, is not. He – _you_ need to be surrounded by people who _love_ you, not people who fear you. You can't get that by joining the _murderers._"

Obito ran his hand trough his hair which had fallen free some time during the spar. "You are right, sensei." the Uchiha smiled when he saw Kakashi looking stunned. "However, my mother died. And I only _now_ realized my father loves me. And as you said, I need people I _know_ love me. I need someone who can show me that that they. And I won't get that by joining, but I won't get that by staying away either. So now, when I have the choice either to be put under pressure physical as well as mental and learn a lot, or stay _broken_ and ruin someone's else dream – when _my _dream was already ruined – my answer is definitive."

"And _what_ exactly is your answer?" Minato asked and Obito realized he had managed to _confuse_ everyone, because they probably _did_ understand what he wanted to say, but they couldn't get to the same result as he did.

"I said I won't join -" another weird stare from Kakashi, "- because I didn't want to look like someone who wants to be a lost one, because I _don't_, and to make Kakashi train me. That failed, because he is too thick headed to act as he should." Obito sent a scowl at his teammate who just looked.. well.._lost_, "So now I am saying: Yes. I will join together with Kakashi, so that we can stay teammates, if that's what he wishes for."

"I do." Kakashi smiled and Obito smiled as well and the ANBU nodded and maybe, just maybe, smiled too.

"Do as you wish." Minato said curtly and he didn't smile, but did turn around swiftly and left, without a wave, without turning back.

"Tora has to go as well." the guard excused himself and disappeared leaving the two standing alone, not knowing whether to be happy because they _joined_, or sad because their sensei was angry and maybe a bit disappointed.

"..Tea?" Obito asked _very_ silently, barely above a whisper. He felt _lost_.

"...Yeah.." and Kakashi sounded the same as he felt so maybe it will be alright, because they will be lost together.

All was well, after all.

* * *

**I am going to put this into _finished_, cause I do not know _where_ was this heading anyway :)**

**Maybe I will write a sequel when I am more relaxed :)**

**So thank you for staying until the very end and coping with my _grammar_ and _spelling_ and _English_ as whole.**

**Smile,  
Sharina. **


	11. Of Babies, Books and Words

Obito and Kakashi both _liked_ living in a flat together, because a) neither ever felt lonely; b) when they needed to talk about work or anything else, they were close; c) most importantly, it gave them the opportunity to annoy each other.

"_What'cha reading Kakashi?"_

"_A book."_

"_I can see that. What is the book like?" Obito plopped himself next to the other._

"_Any other book."_

"_What?"_

"_It's like any other book."_

Or:

"_Your cat scratched my dog!"_

"_Hn." Obito didn't look up from the manga he was reading._

"_Don't just _hn_ me! Say something!"_

"_Something."_

_Smack – and the book went flying and Obito sat face to face with his furious friend._

"_Your. Cat. Scratched. My. Dog. What do you think about that?"_

"_That you should train your _dog_ harder, so that he won't get defeated by a _cat_."_

Or:

"_You can't move like that."_

_"I can."_

"_No, you can't."_

"_Of course I can."_

"_No."_

_"Father didn't tell me I can't when I did!"_

"_Well your father didn't tell you that you can't sleep on a chessboard either."_

_Obito rolled his eyes. "I _can_ move like that."_

"_You know what? Go play chess against the mirror. And you will still lose."_

Or:

"_You are _shaving_?"_

"_Yeah.. Don't wanna have a beard. Aren't you?"_

_Kakashi shook his head._

"_What? You _are_ growing a beard?" Obito chuckled._

"_No! Of course not.. just..I don't _need_ to shave, yet."_

"_Heh. You are such a _child_, Kashi."_

"_What? I am not!"_

"_You _are_ younger than me." Obito mused._

"_That doesn't make me a _kid_, though."_

"_Yes, it does."_

Or:

"_Don't _poke_ me. And go to your _own_ bed."_

"This_ is my bed, Kakashi."_

"_How do you forget their faces?" Kakashi rubbed his left eye._

"_I don't."_

"_Than how – how can you be so calm?!"_

"_Why shouldn't I?"_

"_It was just a _kid_.. remember?"_

"_We came too late to help him."_

"_Yes.. but.. I can't.. just can't _forget_ his face.."_

_Obito sighed. "Neither can I."_

"_Than _how_ can you be so calm?"_

"_'Cause I know what it's like to die. And it's ok when there is someone to see you off."_

"_That's what you were doing? Seeing him off.."_

"_Un."_

"_Will you see me off as well, when I die?"_

"_I will be there, on the other side, waiting for you, 'cause am not going to let you die first."_

And:

"_Who pissed you off today?"_

"_No one."_

"_Well – you look as if you wanted to beat me to death with my own book."_

"_That's cause I do."_

"_It's a _good_ book."_

"_Is it? I never read it."_

"_You never read. Period."_

"_They are sending 'Tachi to a gennin team."_

"_Isn't he too young?"_

"_Yes he is."_

"_Don't be worried about him." Kakashi moved to sit and even closed his little orange book. "I was made gennin younger than him."_

"_Yeah. And look what happened."_

"_Don't be an idiot."_

"_It's.. it's _'Tachi_! My wee cousin. I still remember when he toddled around." Obito sighed heavily and sat down onto the couch as well, his head in his hands. "His first word was 'Bitoo'."_

_And sometimes, Minato would look after them. Sometimes they wouldn't even know he's there, until he spoke up:_

"_Hug him!" he yelled from the kitchen and Kakashi did._

And sometimes:

"_And Kaori ***** in the **** while Ebirei **** with **** and **** *****, *****."_

"_Stop!"_

"_What?"_

"_Stop, just.. _stop_ reading _that_!"_

"_It's an _art_!"_

"_No, it's most definitively not."_

"_It so is. Jiraya-sama wrote it and-"_

"_Jiraya is a pervert. Even sensei said it."_

"_Sensei doesn't understand art."_

"_He does. But _this_ isn't art."_

"_Are you a _virgin_, Obito?"_

Or:

"_I miss Kushina-onee-chan."_

"_I miss my book."_

"_You can't compare those two."_

"_Of course I can. It's something or someone we miss and can't get back."_

"_It's your own fault I burned your _book_."_

"_How is that my fault?"_

"_I warned you not to read it in front of my otouto."_

"_Naruto's not your otouto."_

"_Course he is. And you read that _thing_ in front of him."_

"_That didn't authorize you to go all katon on me!"_

"_Of course not. What authorized me was that I _wanted_ to do that for a loooong time."_

Or:

"_You know sensei is leaving?"_

"_I heard. He is going to travel with Jiraya-sama, right?"_

"_Yeah.. it's good as well. But he is taking my little otouto with him.." Obito whined._

"_They will be back soon. Sensei need to take his mind off of.. well.. you know.."_

_The Uchiha nodded. "We all need to."_

And:

"_Will you teach me to _swear_?"_

"_What?"_

"_Will you teach me to swear?"_

"_...whyyyy?"_

"_'Cause I can't do that, of course."_

"_Of all the things you can't do you want me to teach you how to _swear_?"_

"_Yes."_

"_No."_

"_What?"_

"_I am not going to teach you swear. Here!"_

_Obito caught the flying object instinctively. "Eww.."_

_Smirk. "Read it. You will find out there is a _lot _of swear words inside the fine piece of art."_

"_I heard."_

* * *

**So.. yeah.. :D donno what to say..  
**

**So just _smile_. And maybe tell me what you think.**


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